Gordon&#39;s Gift bermuda grass

ABSTRACT

A variety of Bermuda grass, called Gordon&#39;s Gift, having all the desirable traits of Alicia Bermuda grass plus excellent cold hardiness.

Gordon's Gift Bermuda grass is a mutant developed through selection onmy acreage in Bethany, Okla. It comes from a planting in 1973 of AliciaBermuda grass and has all of the good qualities of Alicia. However, thedrawback of Alicia was that it was not winter hardy in colder climates.The major difference is that Gordon's Gift Bermuda grass has provenwinter hardy. It also differs from Alicia and World Feeder Bermuda grassby having shorter runners, which are larger in diameter, broader leaves,lower protein and twice as much fiber. It has thrived in the face ofsevere winters, where there were days on end of -5 to +10 degreesFahrenheit with wind chill factors of -20 to -30 degrees. No winter killhas been evidenced during this time.

The Gordon's Gift Bermuda grass is a fast growing, hybrid Bermuda grass,averaging knee high in summer, growing approximately 1 inch per day inwarm weather, has a deep penetrating root system, and is tender andsucculent for pasture grazing and hay. The crude protein averages around15% plus, with digestible protein approximately 75%. Tests show thecrude fiber to be 33% and the fat 2.5%. It has great drought resistantqualities due to the deep root system and has a sweet taste. It retains50% of its greenness even after a killing frost (November 1st inOklahoma) and stays relatively green until late December. Emergencebegins in April and by June 1 is in full growth.

GORDON'S GIFT BERMUDA GRASS

`Gordon's Gift` Bermuda grass, Cynodon dactylon var. aridus (seems to bethe same variety as Alicia) is a stoloniferous sward-forming perennialwith sparse long, slender, deeply penetrating rhizomes; surface stolonsslender and very fast spreading, sometimes reaching lengths of 5-6meters; culms slender, 8-40 cm. high and 1.5-2 mm. in diameter.Leaf-blades flat, or folded when dry, often short and narrow, 1-12 cm.long and 3-6 mm. wide, glaucous, scaberulous, with or without scatteredhairs; ligule a membranous rim 0.2-0.3 mm. long, ciliate on the edge.Inflorescences frequent with 4-7 racemes usually 5-7 cm. long, in asingle whorl. Spikelets 2-2.75 mm. long; glumes lanceolate in side view,1-nerved, the upper 1/2-3/4 as long as the spikelet; lemma silkypubescent on the keel; palea glabrous. Growth habit results inproduction of a very loose mat rather than a turf.

I claim:
 1. A new variety of Bermuda grass as shown and described inthis application.